CHAMBER NEWS
Tourism bosses call for new ways of thinking
Tourism and leisure operators in the region are realistic about what success will look like in the immediate future – but collaboration and new ways of thinking will be crucial to their long-term prospects. Businesses including Heights of
Abraham, Vine Hotels and Leicester Tigers RFC discussed the sector’s challenges and opportunities as lockdown restrictions ease – but with capacity remaining limited – at the second Chamber president’s dinner of the year, hosted by Eileen Richards MBE. Rupert Pugh, director at the
Heights of Abraham cable car attraction in Matlock, said a positive summer was dependent on the Government’s roadmap to recovery being delivered in full and on time. “If we’re allowed to go back to effectively the situation of last
autumn, which is similar to the next stage of the roadmap, we can have a reasonable year. If we can open things further in June, there’s the potential to have a very good year. “But when will things get back to
normal? That’s the big question. I know the Government is pushing hard for this to be in June but there seems to be a lot of rhetoric that things are getting back to normal, although with all these provisos in place. If, as people predict, we’re only allowed 50% capacity in June, that’ll be very challenging unless you’re lucky enough to have a very big venue.” Garin Davies, chief executive at
Vine Hotels, whose Whirlow Brook Hall venue is on the north-eastern edge of the Peaks, has had the confidence to buy three new properties in the past year despite turnover being less than a fifth of usual levels in 2020/21.
Heights of Abraham “Our view is the leisure sector
will grow quite rapidly but corporate use of hotels and hospitality will remain low for some time,” he added. For Scott Charlish, who oversees
the East Midlands financial planning team at wealth management firm Brewin Dolphin, the sector’s short- term success relies on creating an economic climate that encourages people to spend. He said: “We need to stimulate
the spending capacity of consumers, who might otherwise want to hold on to the savings they’ve built up. Let’s not miss the opportunity of having that money spent in our towns and cities too as businesses need it to provide employment.”
LONGER-TERM OPPORTUNITIES may well be found by thinking outside the box and collaborating with traditional competitors, according to some business leaders. The president’s dinner guest
Stephen Gould Andrea Pinchen
Transformation of Nottingham Castle
Robin Hood will take centre stage at Nottingham Castle when it reopens next month after a £30m redevelopment. The tourist attraction’s historic Ducal Palace and grounds will welcome members of the public from Monday 21 June. It will feature a dedicated exhibition, an adventure playground and
family-friendly activities linked to the famous outlaw. Sara Blair-Manning, chief executive of Nottingham Castle Trust, said:
“Nottingham Castle has been transformed into a world-class heritage site.” The three-year redevelopment and conservation project followed a
£30m investment from National Heritage Lottery Fund, Nottingham City Council, D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership and Arts Council England, plus fundraising by the trust. It includes a new visitor centre comprising a coffee shop and gift shop,
and a terrace café at the Ducal Palace that offers panoramic views of the city. Nottingham City Council portfolio holder for culture, Councillor Dave Trimble, said: “It will bring new opportunities for jobs and volunteering, enhance tourism and boost the local economy, as well as spearheading the wider regeneration of Nottingham City centre.”
30 business networkMay 2021
Robin Hood’s Hideout at Nottingham Castle
speaker Stephen Gould, managing director of family-owned Everards Brewery, has overseen an ambitious project to create a new brewery complex at Everards Meadows in Leicester that will house a 40,000 sq ft glass-fronted beer hall, shop and offices. It’s due to open by the
end of this month and follows completed work at the park to create cycling tracks, while future plans include a hotel. Stephen said the mixed-use
approach highlighted how, “in leisure and tourism, there’s increasingly an opportunity to stretch customer occasions and think more broadly to insure against peaks and troughs in trading”. Collaboration has been found at
two of the region’s sports clubs during the pandemic. At Derbyshire County Cricket Club, not only have more than 80% of members either donated subscriptions to the club or allowed them to be deferred until the following season, but clubs have joined forces to create a closer “cricket community”, believes chairman Ian Morgan. And at Leicester Tigers, Andrea
Pinchen believed this was a key part of turning around the club’s on and off-field fortunes after being appointed as chief executive in May 2020. She said: “The culture had
eroded within the club so we had a lot of work to do to bring that transparency back. So employees weren’t just treated as employees, but as a unit, so we were all in this together.”
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